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Nominations open Thursday in a Labour Party election to replace Keir Starmer as Britain's prime minister, a contest in which there is expected to be just one candidate. Former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham will be collecting signatures from Labour lawmakers, and needs at least 80 to run a target he's likely to well exceed. Other potential contenders have all ruled themselves out. Former Defence Minister Al Carns, who had been pondering a run, confirmed late Wednesday that he will not challenge Burnham. "I'd hoped a leadership contest would give us the opportunity for a proper debate," Carns said in a statement. "But months of internal Labour politics isn't what the country needs right now. We've got to get on with the job. Andy Burnham's earned this and he's got my full backing." Nominations remain open until July 16. Burnham is highly likely to be announced as the new Labour leader the following day, and to become prime minister after a meeting with King Charles III on Ju
Keir Starmer has spoken of his decision to resign as Labour Party leader and British Prime Minister as an "intensely personal" one, which he took with his wife and children at a family weekend away. In his first interview since his Downing Street statement that fired the starting gun for a leadership election, Starmer told the BBC on Friday evening that he would complete his current term as a central London member of Parliament. But, while on the backbenches of Parliament, the 63-year-old politician plans on "keeping his mouth shut" to allow his successor widely expected to be former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to get on with the job. "I grappled with what was the best thing to do for me, for the country, for the government," said Starmer. "In the end it became an intensely personal decision. And that's why it was a decision taken ultimately when (my wife) Vic and I were away with the kids," he said. The weekend before June 22, when he announced his resignation on the
Dutiful rather than dynamic, Keir Starmer was elected Britain's prime minister to be a safe pair of hands who would end years of political chaos under the Conservatives. His term is ending less than two years later after missteps, party infighting and one colossal error of judgment that indirectly ensnared him in the scandals surrounding Jeffrey Epstein, a man he had never met and whose sexual crimes he was not complicit in. On Monday, Starmer said in an emotional statement that he is stepping down as leader of the governing Labour Party, though he will remain caretaker primer minister until a new Labour leader is chosen in coming weeks. "The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election," he said. "I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace." Starmer's selling point was "no more soap opera politics," said Rob Ford, a political science professor at the Universit
Labour's Andy Burnham, the current mayor of Greater Manchester, has won a special election for a seat in Parliament that puts him in a position to challenge embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Burnham won the seat of Makerfield in northwest England over Rob Kenyon of the anti-immigration party Reform UK. The victory announced Friday cements the status of Burnham as the leading contender to replace Starmer as leader of the Labour Party and the country. Burnham has pledged that "if people put their trust in me, I will change politics" - a big promise for a politician who is just one of 650 lawmakers in the House of Commons. He said he would take the fight for change "as high as I can possibly take it." Starmer's popularity has cratered since he led the centre-left Labour Party to a landslide election victory in July 2024. He has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services and ease the cost of living, and been hamstrung by repeated missteps, ...
Prime Minister Keir Starmer says Britain will ban under-16s from using a range of social media apps. Starmer says he will fight back if technology companies resist. He says he is "not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children." The move makes the UK part of a growing global movement to tighten online safety for children. Australia, Canada, Brazil and Indonesia have introduced legislation or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children's access to social media.
Efforts to unseat British Prime Minister Keir Starmer from within his party broke into open rebellion Thursday, with one potential rival resigning from the Cabinet and two others positioning themselves for a future leadership challenge. Health Secretary Wes Streeting became the first senior minister to quit Thursday in what was seen as a precursor to challenging Starmer's leadership. He said he had lost confidence in Starmer, who should not serve out the rest of his term. "You have shown courage and statesmanship on the world stage - not least in keeping Britain out of the war in Iran," Streeting wrote in an excoriating resignation letter. "But where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift." But Streeting stopped short of saying he was the best candidate to lead the party at the next election due by 2029, suggesting Starmer should step aside to allow a "broad" field of candidates to debate the future of the party. Starmer is under growing pressure t
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday said that he would have withdrawn the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the UK's Ambassador to the US if he had known Mandelson had not passed security checks. Starmer made the remarks while addressing the House of Commons to present the timeline of his decision to appoint Mandelson as envoy to the US despite his scandalous links with American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. An embattled Starmer, fighting for his job, was forced to defend the move after it emerged that Mandelson had been given the green light for the diplomatic post despite failing the mandatory security vetting. While the Opposition has questioned his judgment and accused him of misleading Parliament, the Prime Minister has insisted that he was never made aware of the failed UK Security Vetting (UKSV). "If I had known before he took up his post that UKSV recommendation was that developed vetting clearance should be denied, I would not have gone ahead with the appointment
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday said the UK will host an international diplomatic conference this week on ways to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Starmer says 35 countries have signed a statement committing to work together on restoring maritime security to the key oil transport route. He said Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will lead a conference on the issue, and military planners are also working on plans for security once the Iran war ends. Starmer said "a united front of military strength and diplomatic activity" is needed to restore stability.
Britain, France and Germany said they are ready to work with the US and partners to help stop Iran's retaliatory attacks. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in a joint statement Sunday that they are "appalled" by Iran's "reckless" strikes on their allies, which are threatening their service members and citizens in the region. "We will take steps to defend our interests and those of our allies in the region, potentially through enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran's capability to fire missiles and drones at their source. We have agreed to work together with the US and allies in the region on this matter," the statement said. It did not provide further details.